Transient growth signals which can be related to protein synthesis and cellular growth are of particular interest in the heart because of the incidence of cardiac hypertrophy in man. The isolated coronary perfused adult rat heart or the so-called Langendorff preparation, is an useful model in exploring not only protein synthesis but also c-fos/c-myc protooncogene and Heat Shock Protein (HSP) gene expression. Phenylephrine infusion in this preparation induces c-fos expression whether the heart is beating or reversibly or irreversibly arrested by solutions enriched in KCl. Norepinephrine has the same effect. Quantitative analysis with slot blots shows that in both cases the adrenergic effect has a dual origin since it is inhibited both by propranolol, a beta-adrenergic antagonist, and terazosine, a soluble alpha 1-adrenergic antagonist. We conclude that the isolated heart is a useful tool to explore the early changes in gene expression which occur in this tissue in response to various physiological stimuli.